Chinook,North American Indians of the Northwest Pacific Coast of North America who lived along the lower Columbia River from its mouth to The Dalles, Ore., and spoke Chinookan languages. who spoke Chinookan languages and traditionally lived in what are now Washington and Oregon, from the mouth of the Columbia River to The Dalles.

The Chinook were famous as traders, with connections stretching as far as the Great Plains.

Their

The Columbia was a major indigenous thoroughfare, and the Chinooks’ location facilitated contact with northern and southern coastal peoples

,

as well as with interior groups. The river was a rich source of salmon, the basis of the regional economy

of the area

, and many groups traded with the Chinook for dried fish. Other important trade items were slaves from California, Nootka canoes, and

the

dentalium shells, which were highly valued

dentalium shells

as hair and clothing ornaments. Chinook Jargon, the trade language of the Northwest Coast, was a combination of Chinook with Nootka and other

Indian

Native American, English, and French terms.

The jargon

Chinook Jargon may have originated

in aboriginal times; it was used

before European contact. It was used across a very broad territory reaching from California to Alaska

after contact with American and British fur traders

.

The Chinook were first described ethnographically by the U.S. American explorers Lewis and Clark , who contacted them in 1805. Because white civilization American colonialism severely disrupted Chinook culture, ultimately removing the people to reservations, most of the information about the traditional Chinook life is based on the records of early these and other traders and explorers, together with what is known of neighbouring groups.

The tribe’s basic social unit was probably the a local group consisting of close relatives , and headed by the a senior member. Traditional Chinook religion focussed focused on the first-salmon rite, a ritual in which each group welcomed the annual salmon run. Another important religious rite ritual was the individual spirit vision quest, an ordeal undertaken by all male and some female adolescents to acquire a guardian spirits spirit that would give them hunting, curing, or other powers, bring them good luck, or teach them songs and dances. Singing ceremonies were public demonstrations of these gifts. The Chinook also had potlatches(q.v.), which were ceremonial distributions of property.

Early 21st-century population estimates indicated more than 1,500 Chinook descendants.